During the early days of Mauricio Pochettino's five-and-a-half year spell at Spurs, Harry Kane was at the forefront of a young and hungry Spurs side who seemed certain for success.
However, the club have been on a continuous decline since losing the Champions League final in 2019 - one of many narrowly missed opportunities to bring in some long-awaited silverware. Many stars who thrived in that Spurs side, who consistently competed with Europe's elite, have since departed and gone on to win trophies elsewhere.
It now seems almost certain that academy product and record goalscorer Kane will follow in the footsteps of the likes of Christian Eriksen and Kyle Walker as he seeks to add collective silverware to his illustrious list of individual awards.
Since scoring his first goal for Tottenham against Shamrock Rovers in December 2011, Kane has gone on to score a club record 280 goals, earning three Premier League golden boots in the process.
Kane also boasts the records for: goals scored in North-London derbies (14); headed goals in a Premier league campaign (10); goals scored at major international tournaments for an Englishman (12); combinations for Premier League goals with a team mate (47 with Heung-Min Son).
The downfall of Spurs
Despite Kane undoubtedly cementing his place as one of the Premier League greats, the same can't be said for this current Spurs side whose form in recent seasons does not correlate with that of their talisman.
Fans believe that lack of investment and ambition in transfer windows to improve in weak areas, is the main reason that Spurs are no longer Champions League regulars nor Premier League title challengers.
The man constantly under scrutiny from the fan base for this is chairman Daniel Levy- who will have to decide whether to accept an inevitable third bid from Bayern Munich for the Englishman, to avoid losing him as a free agent next summer- Kane turned down a contract offer of a reported £400,000 per week earlier in the month.
From 2015-2019, despite not winning a trophy, Spurs established themselves as a European power house with a well-rounded squad in all positions. With the Belgian trio made up of Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Mousa Dembele making up a rock solid base, to the English-wingback pair of Danny Rose and Kyle Walker providing pace and deliveries from the flanks. Spurs recorded their record Premier League points tally of 86 in the 2016/17 campaign, later making it to their first ever champions league final in 2019.
Rounding off this team was the lethal quadrant of Kane, Eriksen, Dele Alli and Son. Apart from the latter, every individual has since left, many of whom have picked up trophies for their new clubs.
Despite Kane and Son continuing their impressive careers at Spurs, the main problems have come from further down the pitch. A very weak defensive campaign in 2022/23 saw Spurs leak 63 Premier League goals, worsened by only five teams.
Kane's adaption to managerial changes
The reason why Kane has become so desirable to many clubs is not just his goal scoring ability but also his creativity. He has proved time and time again his strength using both feet and since Pochettino's departure four years ago Kane has often dropped into a number 10 position- this may also be due midfielder Eriksen leaving in 2020.
The cause of this has been a surplus of assists and general recognition for his passing ability. This positional versatility has strengthened the argument for Kane's belonging with the greatest strikers of this generation. Additionally, his leadership skills have become more apparent in recent years, having captained the national side since 2018 and often stepped in as the skipper for Spurs in the absence of goalkeeper Hugo Lloris- who is also expected to leave this summer.
Although the disappointing demise of Tottenham in recent years has angered many fans, Kane has never failed to deliver despite three unsuccessful managerial appointments and the clear disparity in quality among his Spurs team mates.
Now, it seems more likely than ever that Spurs will have to prepare for life without their talisman, with the likelihood being that Brazilian forward Richarlison will take his place.
How will Tottenham cope in attack?
Son is much loved among the fan base and without doubt is more than capable of providing goal threat. Kane has picked up many injuries throughout his Spurs career and the North-London side has always been able to rely on Son to step in up in his absence.
The South Korean became the first Asian player to reach 100 Premier League goals with a wonder strike against Brighton in April and also shared the 2021/22 golden boot with Liverpool's Mohammed Salah.
Son turned down an approach from Saudi Arabian club Al Ittihad earlier in the summer, stating, "I have many things to do in the Premier League", "I want to play more for Tottenham".
This would have undoubtedly strengthened the already high admiration for Son from Spurs fans, who will likely fear a possible transfer is also looming for the winger if Spurs' form doesn't improve in the near future.
Other attacking options include Richarlison and Swedish winger Dejan Kulusevski. The latter endured a disappointing previous campaign which was plagued with injuries, after an impressive half season for Spurs after signing from Juventus on an initial loan deal in January 2021.
The Swede's signature has been made permanent this summer and Postecoglou will no doubt be hoping that he will regain his form that saw him become a regular under former manager Antonio Conte.
As for Richarlison, it seems that the Greek-Australian head coach has been encouraged by the Brazilian's displays in pre season, which featured a hat trick in Spurs' last outing- a 5-1 win against Singapore side Lion City Sailors.
Richarlison will be keen to continue this form into the new season after an underwhelming debut campaign, where he scored just three goals in 36 appearances.
Postecoglou expressed his praise for the former Everton forward and will be hoping that he can showcase the scintillating form he displayed in the 2022 World Cup.
"I really like him. He's got all the attributes I look for in a striker."
Clearly there is talent in terms of Tottenham's offensive options but with many areas of weakness yet to be addressed, combined with the probable departure of Kane, which seems to be edging ever closer, it appears as though extremely testing times are on the horizon for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.
